The Gray Ghost
by 13 Is A Lucky Number
Summary: Ever since I can remember, I have had nightmares of drowning and a ghost. It is always the same dream, but it is always so real. I thought I could live with the nightmares- until the Ghost starts haunting my waking moments, too. It wants something from me... It shows me things. Images. Stories. Maybe if I help it, it will leave me in peace. What does it want from me? Why me?


**Hello, and welcome to the first chapter of _The Gray Ghost_. This idea came to me out of nowhere, but I fell in love with it the moment I thought of it. I have never written a story before, and my updates may take a long time, so please just bear with me. I think this story will be a success, so I hope you guys enjoy it. So, without further ado, I present, _The Gray Ghost_.**

**Chapter 1 – Sick Mind**

I shifted in my moss nest, stretching my legs and raising my head weakly. Immediately, my mother was by my side.

"Rainkit! You're awake!" Relief was evident in her voice as she gently nudged me back into a laying position in my nest. Momentarily confused by her worry, I realized that I was in the medicine den.

"Don't get up. You need to rest, dear." I obeyed, partly because I couldn't win an argument with her, and partly because I was too tired to try. I slowly curled back up and closed my eyes.

As exhaustion began to take over the edges of my mind, I heard a rustle at the entrance to the den, announcing the arrival of either Featherstream, the medicine cat, or my father.

"Dawncloud." A voice greeted my mother, though my mind was too fuzzy with sleep to recognize who the voice belonged to.

"Crowtalon," my mother responded warmly. It was my father, then. I was dimly aware of his breath rustling my fur as he bent his head next to mine.

"How is she?" He asked, gently licking the top of my head. My mother started to respond, but I was too far gone to hear what she said.

...

I breathed in the soft, fresh air of the forest as I flexed my claws in the wood of the oak. I felt strong, lean muscles beneath my pelt as I propelled myself up the tree, nimbly climbing from branch to branch until I reached the very top.

I thrust my head above the tree line, staring in wonder at the blue expanse of sky, dotted with wisps of white cloud. I looked towards the mountains. Where I should have seen jagged peaks, carving their way through the clouds like claws, I saw dark clouds, hovering menacingly along the horizon. If I looked carefully, I could almost see them moving towards me.

With a shrug, I turned away from the storm in the distance and slid down the tree. I leapt from the lowest branch, safely landing on all four paws as though I had done it many times before.

I cocked my head to one side, a strange feeling washing over me- a feeling as though I were being watched. I looked over my shoulder, and saw exactly who I was expecting to see.

A gray cat stood behind me, waiting for me to notice it. I could not see the cat's features; it was more like mist or a storm cloud in the shape of a cat. Mist or a storm cloud with bright green eyes.

I had taken to calling this cat the Gray Ghost. Sure, I didn't know for sure what it was, but it looked like a ghost. So, a ghost it was.

"Hi!" I greeted the Ghost happily, though it never responded. It just stared at me expectantly with those shockingly, almost unnaturally, green eyes. Then, it turned abruptly and took off into the forest, as though expecting me to follow.

And I did. I raced after the Ghost, weaving around the bushes and trees, never losing sight of the mysterious entity I was chasing. I burst out of the bushes just as the Ghost disappeared.

I tried to skid to a halt, but not before falling into the raging river before me. The waves tumbled over me, forcing me under the water and spinning me around until I no longer knew which way was up and which was down.

I felt as though my lungs would burst if they did not taste air soon. I thrashed about, struggling to reach the surface, but it was no use. Darkness inched along the edges of my vision, slowing my movements and making my head fuzzy.

I let my eyes fall closed.

...

My shriek pierced the air as my eyes flew open and struggled for breath. My parents watched me in horror as I thrashed in my nest, unable to breathe. They were shoved out of the way by Featherstream, who crouched by me and began to gently, if not anxiously, massage my chest. As she worked, she spoke to me.

"Come on, Rainkit. Just breathe; you can do it." Then, as though her voice had brought me to the surface, I sucked in a breath. I collapsed on the moss, unmoving save for my coughing.

Featherstream sat back on her hindquarters with a sigh of relief. Dawncloud and Crowtalon hurried to my side as I recovered from my latest bout of nightmares. Featherstream gave me the herbs that were supposed to help me, before pulling my parents aside.

I noticed that the young medicine cat always watched me out of the corner of her eye. I liked to think that she had a soft spot for me, seeing as I was her most common patient. She did look especially worried as she spoke to my parents.

"Her nightmares seem to be getting worse." Featherstream's voice was quiet. "I've never seen anything like it."

Crowtalon and Dawncloud exchanged a worried glance as Featherstream continued.

"She says that the dream is the same every time, and a ghost leads her to a river, in which she drowns.

It isn't the dream itself that bothers me, though. Her dreams overlap with the real world, and I am worried that if she doesn't wake up in time, she could actually die."

My mother's eyes were wide with horror. "But how is that possible? It's just a dream..." Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

Featherstream shook her head. "But that's the point- I don't think they are just dreams."

Crowtalon frowned. "You mean- they're like omens? From StarClan?"

Featherstream seemed hesitant to answer. "Honestly, I don't know. I've never heard of anything like this happening before, and I don't know if I can help her."

The young medicine cat looked troubled, and I couldn't help but feel bad for her. Her mentor had died not long before I was born, and she was too young and inexperienced to handle such a difficult case.

Dawncloud's fur bristled. "What do you mean you can't help her? You're the medicine cat! You're supposed to be able to heal her!"

Her voice rose almost to a yell before Crowtalon hushed her. Featherstream looked at them guiltily before continuing.

"I've tried all the herbs I can think of, but nothing seems to be helping." The medicine cat lowered her voice and moved closer to my parents conspiratorially, and they moved closer as well, as though someone was about to reveal their biggest secret.

"The thing is- I'm not even sure Rainkit _is _sick at all. She seems to be healthy enough outside of the dreams." Featherstream hesitated.

_Get on with it! _I screamed inside my head. _I want to know what's wrong with me!_

Featherstream took a deep breath and continued.

"It's almost as if her _mind _is sick. And there's nothing I can do about that."

My parents exchanged a despaired look.

"What do we do, then?"

Featherstream looked at them sympathetically.

"All we can do is hope."

* * *

**Now, I may have a biased opinion here, but I think that was pretty good. I'm sorry if it was confusing- wait a second, no I'm not. It was supposed to be confusing! That's why it's a mystery. ;) I am not going to promise an update any time soon, but I promise I will try. I would very much appreciate your feedback, so please review, and please continue reading this story. I have nothing more to say, so I will let my wonderful audience be on their way.**

**Ciao!**

**-13**


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